Wardrobe-trunk.



I 1 attuned 3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Patented Mar. 21, 191 1.

Y G. H. WHBARY.

WARDROBE TRUNK.

I APPLICATION FILED DEG. 23, 1909.

G. H. WHBARY.

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APPLICATION FILED D30. 23. 1909. 987,275. Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

3 BHEBTS-SHEET 2.

Elnueuloz dm mwf owitvwoae I G. H. WHEARY.

WARDROBE TRUNK.

nruoumn FILED D110. 23, 1909.

987,275. I Patented Mar. 21, 1911, Q 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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Quorum UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I-I. WHEARY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARTMANN TRUNK (10., 0F BAQINE, WISCONSIN.

WARDROBE-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 23, '1909.

Patented Mar. 21, 1911. Serial No. 534,577.

Toall whom if may concern:

Be it known thatl, GEORGE. H. Wi-IEARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State ofWVisconsin, have invented a new and use ful \Vardrobe-Trunk, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ward-robe trunks and one of its objects is to provide a device.

of this character having the ward-robe section thereof fixedly connected to one; end wall of the trunk, said wall being mounted for swinging-movement relative to the bot.- tom of the trunk so as to assume a position beyond and substantially in alinement with the trunk bottom 'when the ward-robe section is in elevated position.

Another object is to provide-a trunk having a ward-robe section which, when swung out of the trunk body,-will not interfere with the closing of the trunk.

A 'still further object-is to provide means combined withthe ward-robe 'sectionfor binding the movable wall of the trunk against the adjoining fixed walls thereof when the ward-robe section is hOllSGdWlthlIl the trunk body.

Another object is to provide means-"where by the body of the trunk -is prevented from gaping or spreading zit-the open end thereof.

Another object is to provide a trunk having a ward-robe section which, when housed within the trunk occupies the'gieat'e'st portion-of the interior of the trunk, means being left however for the accommodation of a tray designedto bear upon -'the wardrobe section.

Vith "these and-other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel details of construction and -combinations of parts hereinafter'more fully described and pointv of the 'trunkbeing ed out'in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferredyforms-"of the nvention have been shown. 5

In said drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view'of a ward-robe trunk constructed in accordance 'withthe present invention, the wardrobe section'bei'n'g shown in position outside of-the trunk body and=the-cover shown locked in closed position. Fig. 2 is a vertidil longitudinal section through the trunk shown in- Fig. 1

the wardrobe section being-shown housed within the trunk body'an the trunk lid Fig. 3 is a sec- 'Fig. 4 is a -sec- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one form of tray designed to be used in connection with a trunk,-apor tion of the tray being broken away. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of another form of tray which can be used with the trunk. Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section through another form of trunk wherein the tray is hingedly mounted within the trunk lid, the said trunk being shown ward-robe sections housed therein. is a section on line EF Fig. 7.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates the body of the trunk, the same being of any preferred construction and provided with an ordinary hinged lid2. One end-of the-body 1 is normally closed by means of-a wall 3 which is hingedly connected to the bottom-of the body as shown at 4; therebeing a metallicreinforcing strap 5 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom, front and rear walls of the trunk body close to the open end thereof, this strip being of sufiicient thickness to hold the walls perpendicularly to the 'bottom under all conditionsand thus serving to Fig. 8

prevent the trunk from gaping or spreading apart from the pressure of the contents of the body when the hinged wall 3 is moved outwardly-away from the front and rear walls. Angular straps 6 are. secured to the inner face of the end-wall 3 close to that edge thereof from which the hinges 4 extend, these straps being secured to the back board 7 of the ing to hold said ward-robe section and servboard spaced from the wall closed and'with the 3 adistance slightly greater than thewidth of the strip 5 so that, when the ward-robe section is housed within the body of the trunk, said strip 5'will lie betweenfthe'wall 3 and the board. A rectangular top frame 8 is secured to the upper end of the board 7 and overhangs the wall 3 when 'thewardrobe section of this frame being additionally supported by corner posts 9 which are fastened to the outer corners of. the-"Wall 3 and are extended parallel to each other: and to theboard 7.

As clearly-indicated in Figs. 1 and 2; the frame 8 is higher'than the wall 3 so. that, when the ward-robe section is housed-with-' in the trunk body,

is elevated, the frontportion the upper portion of said .frame will project into the closed lid or cover 2. Centering lugs 10 may be secured to the sides of the end wall 3 and so located as to move into receiving-castings 11 secured to the front and rear walls of the trunkbody, these lugs, when seated within the castings, serving to hold the front and rear walls against spreading. In order that the end wall 3 may be securely bound against the ends of the front and rear walls, lugs or projections 12 may be extended inwardly from the sides of the frame S, these lugs being so located as to be engaged by curved or cam shaped hooks 13 hingedly connected to the fixed end wall of the trunk body. By forcing the hooks downwardly into engagement with the lugs or projections 12, said projections will be shifted toward the fixed endwall of the trunk body by the curved or cam shaped terminals of the hooks, frame 8 will thus be drawn toward and against the fixed end wall of the trunk body and a pulling action will thus be exerted. upon the wall 3 through the posts 9 and said wall therefore clamped tightly against the ends of the front and rear walls of the body. It is of course to be understood that the frame 8 is to be provided with suitable supports 14 on which hangers 15 may be mounted and a clamping or holding frame 16 may also be suspended from within this top frame 8. These hangers, clamping frame and the supports therefor do not, however, constitute any part of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, when the trunk is closed, the top frame, 8 projeots into the lid 2. A sufiicient space is left, however, within the lid, and above the ward-robe section within the body ofthe trunk, to receive a tray 17 which may be divided into any desired number of compartment-s, this tray being provided at one end with a strap 18 whereby it may .be conveniently lifted from the trunk or from the elevated wardrobe section. v

As shown in Fig. 5 the tray may be provided with a lid 19 extending over all of the compartments, there being suitable faste'ning devices 20 for securing the lid in closed position. However, if preferred, and as shown 1n Flg. 6, the tray 21- may be proyided with a series of drawers 22. The tray is preferably supported by means of angular brackets 23 extending from the front and rear walls thereof and designed to rest upon the ad o ining posts of the wardrobe section.

In uslng the trunk herein described the wardrobe section is. set up for use outside of the'trunk body by first unlocking and.

raising the lid 2 and then disengaging the hooks13 from the lugs or projections 12.

The uppermost portion of the top frame 8 can then -be grasped and pulled upwardly. The end wall 3 will therefore swing upon its hinges 1 until it assumes a position in the same plane with the bottom of the trunk body. The board 7 and posts 9 will thus be held in upright positions and outside of the top of the cover 2 and the said cover or lid can then be closed as shown in Fig. 1 while the Ward-robe section will retain an up standing position outside of the body. The

hanger structure carried by said section can then be used for supporting garments. It is of course to be understood that when the ward-robe section is elevated in'this manner, the tray 17 is moved therewith and can then be lifted out of engagement with the wardrobe section and either deposited within the trunk body or placed at any convenient point outside of said body. When it is desired to house the ward-robe section, it is first necessary to raise the lid 2 after which said section can be swung downwardly into the body. The centering lugs 10 will more intothe casing 11 and by moving the hooks 12-3 into engagement with the lugs or projections 12, the ward-robe section can be shifted longitudinally so as to bind the wall 8 against the adjoining ends of the front and rear walls of the trunk body. The tray can then be placed upon the ward-robe section .and with the brackets 23 resting on the posts 9 after which the lid may be closed 1 and locked.

If desired, and as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the ward-robe section can be constructed so as to entirely fill the body portion of the trunk. \Vhere such a construction is utilized the top frame 24: is ofth'e same size as the wall 25, so'that, when the ward-robe section is housed within the body of the trunk, the top of the frame 24 lies flush with the upper edge ofthe'adjoining fixed end wall of the trunk body. Hooks 26 can therefore be hingedly connected to said fixed end wall and "can be swung downwardly into engagement with the top of the frame 24 so as to draw said'frame to the said fixed end wall and thus bind the hinged wall 25 against the-adjoining end of the front and rear walls of the trunk body. structure such as is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is utilized. the tray 27 is fitted entirely within the lid 28 and is preferably hingedly connected to it asshown at 29. This tray can also be provided with a hinged cover as shown in Fig. 5 or with drawers as indicated in Fig. 6.

By providing a hook or the like upon one end wall of the trunk body and which is adapted to engage the ward-robe section in either of the ways set forth, the two end walls of. the trunk body are tied together.

and the trunk is thus reinforced throughout its length and rendered better able to with-' stand the rough usage to which it is likely to be. subjected.

Where a" Various changes can of course be made in sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

hatis claimed is 1. A Ward-robe trunk including a body closed at one end and open at its other end, a wall hingedly connected to the bottom of the body and constituting the closure of said open end, a ward-robe section fixedly secured to the hinged wall and movable into the body and onto the bottom thereof when said wall is closed, means upon the hinged wall for engaging the front and back walls of the body to hold them against spreading apart when the hinged wall is closed, and a hook extending from the closed end of the body for engaging the ward-robe section to bind the hinged .wall against the front and back walls of the body and to hold the two end walls against relative movement.

2. A trunk open at one end and closed at its other end, an end wall hinged to the bottom of the trunk and constituting the closure of said open end, said closure, when open, bearing downwardly on the trunk supporting surface and, when shut, bearing agamst the trunk, a ward-robe sectlon carried by the closure and perpendicular thereto, and a hook on the closed end of the trunk for engaging the section to draw itlongitudinally to bind the closure in closed position against the trunk.

3. A ward-robe trunk including a body open at one end, an end Wall hinged to the bottom of the body and constituting the closure of said end, said closure, when open,

cooperating with the top frame to draw the corner posts longitudinally and bind the closure against the body. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEO. H. \VHEARY. Vitnesses CLINT D. F RAZELL, Max BLOCK. 

